


Inhale

by captainpieceofshit (mo52ya)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 06:19:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3639981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mo52ya/pseuds/captainpieceofshit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi could stay blissfully unaware of January’s mischief, cradled by their leftover body warmth until he awoke. Sometimes (often), Nijimura wished it was his turn to ignore the outside for at least three months. Three months which always spanned, unpredictably, over December to February.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inhale

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Nijiaka Week : Day 1 : seasons] on tumblr.

_Winter_

Nijimura pulled open the thick bedroom curtains to let in a string of white light. It had snowed overnight again and the trees lining the street were crowned in white. Akashi was still sleeping soundly on their bed. Before they had started dating, Nijimura had always assumed that the boy would be the type to rise with the day. It was his always alert and active aura, he supposed. He was proven wrong when they moved in together, on the dawn of Akashi’s twenty-two. After having spent their first night on the new, still stiff, mattress, Nijimura had awoken to steady warmth against his shoulder. He remembers wrapping his arm around the smaller body and pulling it closer before going back to sleep for another hour until he felt the other shuffle awake. A little while and a few attempts to wake Akashi up later, he had become acquainted with the boy’s juvenile scowl in the early mornings.

Before the sun rays could brush Akashi’s eyelids, Nijimura closed the curtain. Despite the dark, the room felt warm like this. Akashi could stay blissfully unaware of January’s mischief, cradled by their leftover body warmth until he awoke. Sometimes (often), Nijimura wished it was his turn to ignore the outside for at least three months. Three months which always spanned, unpredictably, over December to February.

As soon as he stepped out the front door, the biting wind came to slap his exposed cheeks, as if he was not already too aware. " _Why_ ”, is all he could ever think of, standing before the white driveway. Actually, he was never even sure where the driveway started and ended, save for the very spot where their car was parked (stuck). He grabbed the shovel conveniently placed next to the entrance staircase and started taking chunks out of the snow and throwing it out of the way. He would have to clear the doorway for the neighbour too. She was an elderly lady who lived with her husband. He would see them occasionally on his way to work and would greet them, and they would water the flowers in front of Nijimura’s house in the summer when they saw them dry. Doing this was only courtesy from him, besides it would have been cruel to have them shovel. Thus, everytime it snowed, he did the work for two. He thanked his younger self for having stayed fit, it saved him a sore back.

After an hour of gathering and removing, he admired the clear path into the streets that he had just created. Nose runny and chin numb, he made his way back indoors. Stepping in, the sudden gust of warmth welcomed him back, completed by the sight of Akashi sitting at the dining table with coffee (one milk, one sugar) silently reading the news on his phone. At the sound of the door, he turned towards the entrance where Nijimura stood, shaking the snow off from his shoulders.

“Good morning Shuuzou”, he smiled.  
“Good morning”, Nijimura shook his head and brushed the tip of his locks, wet from snow.  
“I made you coffee. Also, the bathroom is still warm because I just showered. You should hurry and use it.”  
“Got it.”

Nijimura joined Akashi at the table. He stretched and took a sip out of the coffee (no milk, two sugars). The aroma floated in the air and filled the room along with their breath.

\---

_Spring_

The year stepped into April and the sun set later with each passing day. Akashi’s work day ended at 6 in the evening, and Nijimura’s at 6:30. The latter had gotten hired as one of the neighbour officers. He took care of daily affairs like lost people, snatched purses or truant children. Occasionally, he would get sent after runaway burglars or some similar cases. Because the couple’s schedule was similar, Akashi had decided to wait for his partner to finish work every time he had the chance. The police station being located at the corner of a main artery, it sat near a bunch of small coffee shops and restaurants. Akashi had chosen one of the cafés as his waiting spot, sitting at the window to look out for Nijimura walking out of work. The comforting sun of Spring filtered through the window and rested on Akashi’s skin as he sat patiently.

It didn’t take long until he saw the familiar silhouette pacing down the street. Nijimura glanced at the café’s window, having gotten used to Akashi’s usual spot. As expected, their gazes met and Akashi got up to greet him. 

“Hey, good work today.”  
“Good work to you too, Shuuzou.”

They walked home together leisurely. The sun was starting to set. Orange and pink coloured their shoulders, and a soft wind caressed their cheeks and tousled their hair. It was this time of the year where seasons meshed with one another and the evening sun announced warmer days. Like so, whether it was winter’s last breath or spring’s first did not matter. After a while, they walked past the basketball court. It was deserted on a Thursday. Actually, because they lived in a rather small neighbourhood, it was never crowded. The kids who used to play there grew up and went on with their lives. Akashi stopped.

“We played here on the day we moved in.”  
“Yeah. I beat you by a landslide that day,” Nijimura grinned.  
“I was just rusty. Besides, moving was tiresome. Things would be different now,” Akashi did not turn to him, but Nijimura perceived the slightest smile on his lips.   
“Is this a challenge young man?”  
“I don’t know? Do you want it to be?”

After reaching home, they grabbed the ball sitting in the corner of the bedroom, in a pile of Nijimura’s stuff. It had deflated slightly but they didn’t fuss.

They played until the lights on the court came on and the streets were quiet. As Akashi went in for a steal, Nijimura stepped back and threw the ball into the basket. Akashi stumbled and fell on the ground. 

“Still my win though.”  
“Whatever, I’m getting old.”

Nijimura offered his hand to pull the other back on his feet. Akashi grabbed it, but just as he felt the taller boy let his guard down, he pulled his wrist and a second later, Nijimura was on the ground too.

“What the hell was that for?!” Nijimura asked, mildly confused.  
“You played well today, as expected of Shuuzou.”

He pressed his lips against Nijimura’s for a kiss. Behind their closed eyelids, they reminisced of the days after school.

\---

_Summer_

“I reserved one of the secondary Akashi residences in Kyoto for a week. Prepare your luggage we’re leaving this weekend.”  
“You what?”

July was kicking in and the summer heat came hand in hand. Nijimura dnd Akashi both took their two weeks of vacation every summer and this year, the younger male wanted to surprise the other. 

“Was this perhaps kept as a surprise? A special attention for thanking me for my hard work?” Nijimura flung his arm around Akashi’s shoulders playfully and nuzzled their heads together playfully.  
“Oh please, can’t I plan a simple vacation with no ulterior motives?”, Akashi chuckled.

They took the car and drove South. Nijimura liked to drive with the windows open to let the wind engulf the space around them. He got used to riding with the air zooming past when he drove motorcycles back then. He never admitted it, but Akashi knew that it reminded him of his youthful days (everytime he brought it up, Nijimura had protested saying that he was not old yet). On the seat left to the driver, Akashi’s arm rested against the door. He inhaled the gusts of wind.

“If you get tired of driving I’ll take over.”  
“Alright.”  
“Should we put some music?”

Akashi leaned back into his seat as Nijimura reached for the radio button. He set the channel to a big name one and it played popular hits of the moment. Akashi only recognized the songs by tune but never paid enough attention to remember the names and faces. He watched his lover’s profile fondly. He knew it by heart, the curve of his nose, his jaw line, his adam’s apple. He noticed his lips moving, and when he focused he could hear a faint murmur. Nijimura was singing along. His voice was a bit rough and the notes out of tune. He caught him messing up some lyrics and humming some parts. Akashi closed his eyes and let himself be lulled by the moment. Around him, he could hear Nijimura’s voice mixed with the low mumble of tires on the road.

\---

_Fall_

Nijimura was not particularly fond of autumn. Summer had left to make space for bone-chilling cold. It was humid and grey outside. He could hear the incessant drumming of the rain against the station’s window and it was already getting dark outside. Despite the fact that his working day was over, he was not overjoyed about stepping outside.

“You’re not leaving yet, Nijimura-san?”, his colleague asked.  
“I should...”, he replied blankly, staring at the sky through the glass.  
“I’ll be going ahead then. See you tomorrow.”  
“See you tomorrow.”

The rain made him kind of lethargic. “ _Where is my sun? Where is my freedom?”_ He felt like a school kid who just got hit by the realization that summer vacation was over. He shook the thought and resolved to pick up his things. He put on his jacket and grabbed him bag. Before leaving, he collected his trusty umbrella which had been waiting for him in the umbrella bin the whole day. 

On the way, he walked by the café. Akashi was sitting in his usual spot but did not notice him. He was looking down at a newspaper. Nijimura walked into the café to call the other boy, who gathered his items on sight and exited with him. They walked next to each other, each with their own umbrella. Nijimura thought back at that day in middle school when Akashi had gotten his umbrella stolen. It had been pouring outside.

_“This is a problem,” Akashi had always had an endearing habit to state the obvious._  
“Your dad is going to freak if you arrive home soaking wet.”  
“Indeed.”  


_They had stood under roof outside the building’s entrance, watching the rain fall for a few minutes, trying to think of something to do. After a moment, Nijimura handed his underclassman his umbrella and took off his jacket. Akashi stared in confusion._

_“You can return it to me tomorrow.”_

_Akashi raised an eyebrow._

_“I get scolded all the time. It’s not the first time I’ll come home with my uniform in a mess,” he etched an impish smile._

Akashi had deemed such antics childish now. It would be a lie to say that Nijimura was not slightly disappointed at the fact that Akashi never forgot his umbrella anymore. He dismissed the thought and smiled to himself, but he couldn’t help feeling childish amusement every time he saw couples of high schoolers sharing an umbrella. 

The path to home had rows of trees and the ground was draped in a bed of reds and yellows. The leaves were drenched in water puddles and made it hard to avoid mud, but if he raised his eyes, the view was not so bad. Akashi’s skin was fair and his eyes sharp. He discovered that if he observed well enough, he could perceive the softness in his traits. The younger boy looked like a painting against the natural canvas. Nijimura reached for his head and ruffled his hair. Akashi looked at him wide-eyed. He turned back towards the front.

“Let’s take a warm bath when we get home. The rain is making my muscles all stiff.”  
“Sure.”

The rest of the way, they listened to the piano of the raindrops on umbrellas’ fabric.

 


End file.
